Congressman addresses LT’s Investment Club

The Lyons Township High School Investment Club recently welcomed Congressman Dan Lipinski to a club meeting to discuss the Capitol Hill Challenge, a national educational investment game sponsored by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) that matches students competing in the Stock Market Game with members of Congress in their respective district to promote financial capability and fiscal awareness.

LT participates with hundreds of other high schools around the country in the Stock Market Game, where each club has a virtual portfolio of $100,000 that its members have invested in stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Students learn the fundamentals of investing by researching various stocks, analyzing current events and listening to presentations from local professionals. They practice with virtual portfolios of their own using the Stock Market Game platform. All of the club members are eligible to present stocks to the “investment committee,” which consists of five students leading the club and who make the final investment decisions. The goal is to outperform the S&P500 stock market index.

Congressman Lipinski spoke about why the stock market is important to America’s economy, why selling stock is a good way to raise capital for growth and operations, why financial literacy and saving and investing is important and he shared some keys to financial success.

Congressman Lipinski holds degrees in engineering, economics and political science from Northwestern, Stanford and Duke Universities. With his economics background, he takes a keen interest in stock markets, how they function and the financial literacy of young investors.

The top 10 student teams and their teachers win a trip to Washington, D.C. to meet their members of Congress, learn about fiscal policy making and tour financial landmarks. The Capitol Hill Challenge helps students better understand the global economy, develop personal financial skills, and improve their knowledge of math, economics and business. The Challenge also provides members of Congress an opportunity to connect to schools in their districts, and to inspire and serve as role models for the students.